1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to support articles including support garments, and more particularly to a clothing support system for providing bodily support. The clothing support system may be incorporated into support garments such as maternity support garments, therapeutic support garments, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of support articles have been designed to provide maternity support, therapeutic support and the like. Conventional support garments are often provide only a single level of support, and those with adjustable components are often bulky and uncomfortable. In addition, many support garments are offered the form of undergarments, which are disadvantageous in that they require frequent laundering and/or the purchase of multiple garments. U.S. Pat. No. 3,273,563 relates to an under-belly maternity girdle for shifting abdominal weight to the back region via a main supporting strap 9. However, this configuration reaches over shoulders and adjusts in the rear of the individual, which poses a problem when wearing and adjusting the garment independently. U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,192 provides a belt-based system attached to an upper harness which is attached to a user's shoulders. Such articles are uncomfortable and inconvenient for an active lifestyle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,268 provides an undergarment having two belts attached in the rear of the article, which extend forward to the front of the garment. The belts are formed of an elastic material encased in a fixed material. Again, these undergarments must be frequently laundered. U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,403 provides an undergarment with a front panel having attachments such that the front panel can be stretched and attached to the rear of the article. However, adjustment of this arrangement is inconvenient and difficult since the attachments are in the rear of the article. As stated above, such undergarments require frequent laundering. U.S. Pat. No. 6,620,026 provides such an undergarment having left and right elastic bands or belts which are wrapped around a user's body and joined in the front of the undergarment. It is noted that this arrangement limits the article's adjustability as the belt is affixed to the back of the undergarment. U.S. Pat. No. 7,101,348 provides a complex and bulky brace system with multiple detachable front panels, cables, and pull tabs. Such a device would not be easily incorporated into a support garment such as a pair of pants. U.S. Pat. No. 7,704,121 relates to a one-piece, single-stage support which contains two parallel belts which wrap around a user from back to front. Their article is entirely made of an elastic material, and serves to provide a counter rotation of the pelvis.
It is clear that a need exists in the art for a support article which provides varying levels of support as needed, and which is easily adjustable by a user. It would be desirable to provide a support article which is non-bulky, comfortable and breathable. It would further be desirable to provide a support article which may be easily incorporated into a clothing article such as pants or the like, and does not require frequent laundering such as with undergarments.
The present invention solves these problems by providing a specially designed clothing support system which has the advantage of providing multiple levels of support, wherein a user has an opportunity to increase or decrease the support by adding the tension strap to the clothing support article, or removing the tension strap from the clothing support article. Key features of this invention are the front and rear panels which are formed of fabrics of a substantially non-stretch material, thus providing front and rear support via spring action with two laterally stretchable side panels attached thereto. Another key feature of the invention is the presence of a rear engagement component which serves as a pivot point for engagement of the tension strap. This allows tension to be applied via the tension strap to a portion of a user's body, thus providing enhanced support when needed. The materials of the invention are of lightweight, resilient materials which provide a comfortable fit to a user without being bulky or restrictive.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,175 provides the closest related art. This reference describes a natal/abdominal support article having a support member (4) wrapped in an apron (6), which apron wraps around a user from back to front. A further strap (8) is placed over the top of a user's belly. However, it is noted that the support member merely provides a passive attachment point for the apron, while the tension strap of the present invention forms a tensioned attachment providing uplifting support due to its engagement with the rear engagement component. In contrast, the support provided by the article of the reference is provided by its apron (6). The active support portion of their device is in the rear of the individual coming forward, whereas the present structure offers circumferential support in addition to a front-to-back-to-front active second level. In fact, U.S. Pat. No. 7,101,348 listed above specifically states that supports such as that from U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,175 are not easily adjustable since the back and side portions of the support are fixedly coupled to the front portion. Thus, while U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,175 offers a multi-component support structure, the present invention offers a more desirable structure which is more easily adjustable and thus offers better support.
The inventive clothing support system is a clear improvement over what is known and currently used in the art. The invention may be used for various purposes such as maternity support, obesity support, injury support, or therapeutic support, among others. In addition, the invention may further be used for preventative purposes, such as providing support to prevent injury.